FROM the towering inferno to tree surgery: firefighters have been asked to lend a hand in clearing fallen trees from the county’s roads.

Oxfordshire County Council, which runs Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, is now running a trial scheme.

If rolled out permanently it could save the authority thousands which it currently pays private companies.

It comes after the September announcement that all county firefighters were to be trained in trauma care to help South Central Ambulance Service cope with an increasing demand.

In the tree scheme, only trees that fall onto roads will be dealt with by the fire service – those on private land will remain the responsibility of the owners, and emergency calls will remain the fire service’s top priority.

The council’s deputy leader Rodney Rose said it could save time and money.